Danny Boyle should make more horror.

Rating: 9/10 (19 May 2010)

Twenty-eight days after a powerful virus known as 'rage' escapes from an animal experimentation lab, injured cycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes from a coma to discover that, while he has been asleep, the country has been overwhelmed by the infected, who are crazed, bloodthirsty, and surprisingly fleet of foot.
Although I'm not the biggest fan of Danny Boyle's oeuvre as a whole, I do love me a good zombie film, and 28 Days Later is one of the finest examples that the genre has to offer (OK, I know that they are not technically zombies, but as poet James Whitcomb Riley once wrote, "when I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck).
Not only does the film offer intense horror by the bucket-load, but it also manages to deliver heart-rending pathos, dark comedy and nail-biting action, thanks to a raft of central characters you actually give a damn about, a gripping script from Alex Garland that wisely keeps matters within the realms of believability, and Boyle's stylish direction that combines stunning cinematography (considering the digital format on which it was shot) with frantic, hand-held footage of the type that often sends me into fits of rage myself, but which works brilliantly in this instance. Also adding immensely to the overall atmosphere is the excellent original music by John Murphy, which works particularly well in the early scene in which Jim wanders the deserted streets of London, the score building to a crescendo as he gradually comes to understand his predicament.
I know it's highly unlikely, now that Boyle has snagged himself Academy Award for Best Director, but I reckon the guy should tackle more horror (but NOT sci-fi/horror: Sunshine sucked!).